Current strategies of combating bacterial infections are limited and involve the use of antibiotics and preservatives. Each of these agents has generally inadequate efficacy and a number of serious adverse effects. Thus, there is an urgent need for new antimicrobial drugs and food preservatives with higher efficacy and lower toxicity. Edible plants have been used in medicine since ancient times and are well known for their successful antimicrobial activity. Often photosensitizers are present in many edible plants; they could be a promising source for a new generation of drugs and food preservatives. The use of photodynamic therapy allows enhancement of antimicrobial properties in plant photosensitizers. The purpose of this review is to present the verified data on the antimicrobial activities of photodynamic phytochemicals in edible species of the world’s flora, including the various mechanisms of their actions.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Helicobacter pylori is increasing and can result in treatment failure and inappropriate antibiotic usage. This study used whole genome sequencing (WGS) to comprehensively analyze the H. pylori resistome and phylogeny in order to characterize Israeli H. pylori. Israeli H. pylori isolates (n = 48) underwent antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) against five antimicrobials and WGS analysis. Literature review identified 111 mutations reported to correlate with phenotypic resistance to these antimicrobials. Analysis was conducted via our in-house bioinformatics pipeline targeting point mutations in the relevant genes (pbp1A, 23S rRNA, gyrA, rdxA, frxA, and rpoB) in order to assess genotype-to-phenotype correlation. Resistance rates of study isolates were as follows: clarithromycin 54%, metronidazole 31%, amoxicillin 10%, rifampicin 4%, and levofloxacin 2%. Genotype-to-phenotype correlation was inconsistent; for every analyzed gene at least one phenotypically susceptible isolate was found to have a mutation previously associated with resistance. This was also observed regarding mutations commonly used in commercial kits to diagnose AMR in H. pylori cases. Furthermore, 11 novel point mutations associated with a resistant phenotype were detected. Analysis of a unique set of H. pylori isolates demonstrates that inferring resistance phenotypes from WGS in H. pylori remains challenging and should be optimized further.

One anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) is an emerging bariatric procedure, yet data on its effect on the gastrointestinal tract are lacking. This study sought to evaluate the incidence of small-intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) following OAGB; explore its effect on nutritional, gastrointestinal, and weight outcomes; and assess post-OABG occurrence of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI) and altered gut microbiota composition. A prospective pilot cohort study of patients who underwent primary-OAGB surgery is here reported. The pre-surgical and 6-months-post-surgery measurements included anthropometrics, glucose breath-tests, biochemical tests, gastrointestinal symptoms, quality-of-life, dietary intake, and fecal sample collection. Thirty-two patients (50% females, 44.5 ± 12.3 years) participated in this study, and 29 attended the 6-month follow-up visit. The mean excess weight loss at 6 months post-OAGB was 67.8 ± 21.2%. The glucose breath-test was negative in all pre-surgery and positive in 37.0% at 6 months (p = 0.004). Positive glucose breath-test was associated with lower reported dietary intake and folate levels and higher vitamin A deficiency rates (p ≤ 0.036). Fecal elastase-1 test (FE1) was negative for all pre-surgery and positive in 26.1% at 6 months (p = 0.500). Both alpha and beta diversity decreased at 6 months post-surgery compared to pre-surgery (p ≤ 0.026). Relatively high incidences of SIBO and PEI were observed at 6 months post-OAGB, which may explain some gastrointestinal symptoms and nutritional deficiencies.

Lilium candidum L., known as Madonna, meadow, or white lily, is a bulbous plant from the Liliaceae family, originating in the Middle East. L. candidum has been abundantly used in folk medicine since ancient times to relieve a variety of ailments, including age-related diseases, burns, ulcers, and coughs. The aim of this article is to investigate the anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic activities of L. candidum extracts and its active phytochemicals. Some active volatile phytochemicals were identified using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Significant (p < 0.001) anti-diabetic properties of the extracts kaempferol, linalool, citronellal, and humulene were demonstrated by an elevation in glucose uptake by adipocytes. The significant (p < 0.01) effect of the plant extracts kaempferol, citronellal, and humulene on the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin 6 (IL-6) and interleukin 8 (IL-8) was demonstrated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Altogether, L. candidum and its rich collection of phytochemicals hold promising medicinal potential, and further investigations of its therapeutic prospects are encouraged.

Antimicrobial compounds of natural origin are of interest because of the large number of reports regarding the harmfulness of food preservatives. These natural products can be derived from plants, animal sources, microorganisms, algae, or mushrooms. The aim of this review is to consider known antimicrobials of natural origin and the mechanisms of their action, antimicrobial photodynamic technology, and ultrasound for disinfection. Plant extracts and their active compounds, chitosan and chitosan oligosaccharide, bioactive peptides, and essential oils are highly potent preservatives. It has been experimentally proven that they possess strong antibacterial capabilities against bacteria, yeast, and fungi, indicating the possibility of their use in the future to create preservatives for the pharmaceutical, agricultural, and food industries.